mendenhall glacier price

[nurse324]

I am taking a cruise to Alaska with the hubby in September and also with my parents. Trying to keep costs at a minimum and wondering how much it costs to take the shuttle to mendenhall glacier. Also, just wondering, we will be stopping at Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Prince Rupert, how many of these can we just get off and shop without having to take an excursion? Thanks in advance for all of your help!

[Coral]

Last year - MGT charged $5 each way ($10 RT) to go to Mendenhall.

[Budget Queen]

Correct $10 round trip pp for the Mendenhall shuttle, plus $3 visitor center admission if desired. I never recommend just shopping in these excellent Alaska ports. Request visitor guides and determine if this is really what you only want to do??? Plenty of budget options to also consider. :)

[CruiseIsGood]

The towns are very small, even Juneau is underwhelming. The only person I personally know who didn't enjoy his Alaska trip didn't take excursions and just walked the towns. Most of the real WOW stuff is outside of town. Budgeting is great, but personally I wouldn't skimp on the excursions, just my opinion.

 

Denise

[Hate 2 W8t]

If you wander through some of the threads, you will see quite a few people mentioning renting cars. For $50 +/-, you can get all four of you around to what you decide to see. While it doesn't beat some of the pricier alternatives, like a heli-hike, it is better than just wandering town. One of the most popular is renting a car in Skagway to drive to Emerald Creek.

 

The people on this board have given me so much information that I expect my Alaskan cruise to be out of this world. Keep asking questions, do internet searches, order the visitors brochures for each city, search this website for threads on these ports, buy a Frommer's (or similar) guide, just dig in! :D There are many less expensive excursions out there. There is a thread called http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=65842&highlight=alaska+review+budget. (I hope that works, if not the thread is called "Cruising Alaska on a Budget - Star Review" by CaribbeanBound on 8/10/04 on the Princess Cruises board here on CC.) This thread gave an interesting perspective on doing things more like what you are thinking.

 

You have lots of time, so enjoy the planning as much as you will the trip. Good luck! :D

[tetleytea]

Ketchikan's okay to just shop. Are there some killer excursions you can do there that I missed?

 

And...you can rent a car for just $50?!?!?? I could never get it under $100. Are you saying $50 per person?

[Hate 2 W8t]

Ketchikan's okay to just shop. Are there some killer excursions you can do there that I missed? And...you can rent a car for just $50?!?!?? I could never get it under $100. Are you saying $50 per person?

 

The only "killer" excursion I have seen is the Misty Fjords Floatplace. My BIL lived in KTN for 2 years and advised us it was the one thing he would do if he only had time for one thing. He's from gorgeous country in Utah, so I can't wait to see what has impressed him so!

 

As for the rental car, I'm sorry, my mistake. :( I was thinking about the Anc price for a day rental. I haven't priced Skagway since we are doing excursions through the cruiseline there. Can't wait to yell "mush"! ;)

 

I just edited this to add P.B. Cruisers for a rental car. $60!!! (907) 983-3385

[tetleytea]

Yeah, I wanted a rental car in Seward so bad, but Hertz wanted $180/day. ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DOLLARS!!!! Some competitor needs to wise up and put an office there.

[Hate 2 W8t]

Yeah, I wanted a rental car in Seward so bad, but Hertz wanted $180/day. ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DOLLARS!!!! Some competitor needs to wise up and put an office there.

 

Yipes! Is that a one-way rental or are you returning to the same office? I know one-ways tack on an extra fee, but that is really high! :eek: Maybe you could start a seasonal business??

 

The $60 rental I mentioned was for Skagway.

[tetleytea]

LOL for that price I'll just live in Seward for the summer and rent my own car out. That'll pay for my lodging. :p

[tetleytea]

Wow, I'm sold on the $60 Skagway car rental. I found it online. I wish I could've done that. If there's only two in your party, you're sure to make some friends at the cruise dinner table that way---What? You want to take the train? Want to split the cost with us and drive it?

;)

[Hate 2 W8t]

What? You want to take the train? Want to split the cost with us and drive it?;)

 

Drive it? My DH would love that! He is a total train freak. It's actually my b-day while we are there, but I compromised. Morning train, afternoon dogs & glacier flight! Can't wait. We don't leave until 8/29. :(

[judynorth]

We have reserved a full sized car in Skagway for under $100. A mid sized car was about $75. That is for the 4 of us and it sure beats the $90 pp to take the motorcoach into the Yukon or the $170 pp to take the train/motorcoach excursion. We are looking forward to going at our own pace this year and stopping when and where we want.

[katmai]

I also reserved an intermediate car in Skagway from Avis this June for $55.

It's much better a deal than train/motorcoach excursion for 4 people.

By the way, AAA discount rocks!

[Budget Queen]

Car rentals in Juneau from Rent a Wreck are under $50, about the same out of Ketchikan. But for clairfication and having done both the car and train out of Skagway, they are NOT the same. Scenery is superior from the train and the history significant. It's not for everyone certainly, with a car an excellent option. Be CERTAIN to print out and take Murray's Klondike Highway log.

[nurse324]

Thanks so much for all of your input. I definitely don't want to miss out on anything amazing. I just thought if there was one or two ports that just walking around would be enough, I could keep costs down. But splitting a rental between two couples wouldn't be bad at all. I am really excited about that option! The shuttle to mendenhall glacier is pretty cheap too, so I think we can definitely do that. I am sorry, I am new to all of this. Can I just go to the websites for skagway, etc to get information about rental cars and even to get maps? I get nervous about driving off into the unknown, but the hubby has a great sense of direction, and with a map we should be fine. Is it worth the $90 pp to take the the white pass rail in skagway? If we can get some of the view by driving and only paying $60 for a rental that seems really worth it! Any tips for things to do in Prince Rupert?

Thanks again everyone. I really, REALLY appreciate the help. This is a once in a lifetime experience, and I want to make it really special, especially for my parents.

Thanks!!!!

[judynorth]

Last year was our first cruise and our first time to Alaska and I remember looking at the excursions brochure from Princess. The price of the excursions was staggering. You will find that Alaska is an expensive place to visit or live. Once I saw Alaska though I thought that the price was well worth it. That being said, there are ways to compromise and save some money.

 

Last year we took the motorcoach trip into Carcross rather than taking the train/motorcoach trip. It cost half as much and went the same places. The train travels down the other side of the valley from the road so you get a somewhat different perspective on those first (or last) few miles. The train only goes a little past the Canadian border and returns to Skagway. If you take the train/motorcoach trip you take the motorcoach into Carcross and back to the train station where you take the train into Skagway. My only criticism of the trip was that we didn't stop much for picture taking.

 

This year we are renting a car and driving the same route that the motorcoach took last year. You can't get lost because there is only one road from Skagway to Carcross. It is a good 2 lane road that should make for a fairly easy drive. Murray (Yukon) has a mile-by-mile guide to the highway that you can print out and use as your guide. Here is the link:

http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html

 

Ketchikan is probably the town that is most conductive to just walking around and seeing the town. It is small and picturesque and there is lots to see along the waterfront and in town. You can walk to Creek Street and visit the shops there and roam around the waterfront and see the sights. We took the rain forest excursion there and didn't really have any time to see the town. This year we don't have an excursion planned just so that we can see the town.

 

Prince Rupert is a new port this year and only one cruise line (I think) will be going there. One thing, it is in Canada so you will need your proof of citizenship with you. (The same if you go into the Yukon.)

 

I think you will enjoy Alaska whatever you choose to do. However, if you think this will be your only trip there, splurge a little if you can. Of course, we thought last year would be our only trip there but we just can't stay away. It is wonderful.

[tetleytea]

Here's the Skagway rental car link I found: https://home.aptalaska.net/~mims/ And I agree with Judy about Ketchikan being the place to walk around.

 

 

BTW Judy, is there a place where I can find out more about your Williamsburg trip? :) I'm headed there in October.

[judynorth]

Tetleytea, we live just 20 miles from Williamsburg in Newport News VA. As a matter of fact, we just got back from there. We went to take pictures of the spring flowers. This is Historic Garden Week in VA and the spring flowers are at their peak. I haven't looked at my pictures yet (both my husband and I took pictures this time) but I will probably be posting some of those pictures in the next few days. Have you been to W'burg before? If not, you are in for a treat. It is a beautiful restoration of 18th century colonial times complete with interpreters dressed in colonial garb. If you have any questions just email me (judynorth@cox.net) and I will do my best to answer them. You have picked a good time to come. October, April, and Christmas are the best times in W'burg IMHO. The summer is way too hot. You can get information about tickets and such at the Colonial Williamsburg website. When will you be in Alaska and on what ship? (Sorry, if you have said before.)

[tetleytea]

Actually I'm in the market for an Eastern Caribbean, for the winter. But I keep gravitating back to Alaska forums because we just came from there. We did a 5-week honeymoon there--2 cruises (north & south), 1 week land in Alaska, Victoria, Vancouver, Whistler (summer), and Seattle. I planned it all and got the cost for 2 of us down to $8000.

 

We just relocated on the east coast, and trying to take full advantage of it. My parents are coming over in October, and I was thinking of getting a cheap 7-day timeshare in Williamsburg and using that as a launching pad to DC, Busch Gardens, Jamestown, etc.. Wish I could find a good Civil War reenactment for my parents, but no big battles in October. :(

 

Anyway, yeah, I'm just trying to find an appropriate location to discuss Williamsburg (and not off topic). take care

[luv2cruise123]

If you are sailing on the Mercury, that is just a one hour operational stop to satisfy the Jones Act law. You are not allowed to get off the ship there.

[nurse324]

Thanks again everyone for all of your help. I think we will definitely plan to just walk around in Ketchikan. I am excited about the drive to Emerald Lake. I am sure this will be an amazing trip!!!

Thanks again!!

[My Lady Sydney]

Where do we get the shuttle to Mendhall Glacier and how often does it run?

[Jenifire]

I believe last year when we were there, right next to the Mt Robers Tram was the blue busses. Someone can correct me if I am wrong. And I think they ran every 30mins but it mightve been an hour.

Jenny

[Budget Queen]

There are a couple pick up areas at the dock, find the booths- they will direct you to the pick up. Buses run at least every hour for the 20 min. shuttle.